(Photo: Class photo!)

Marine and Steph, along with their friends Meghan and Laura on Wind of Peace went to Black Point All-Ages School in the afternoon. The class was a combined Grade 5/6, and the teacher welcomed the girls and then launched into a Social Studies review about links between the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Steph even managed to answer a question or two, and when answers were not forthcoming from the class, the teacher launched into a short lecture about the evils of too much television and internet...now where have we heard that before? Of particular interest was a discussion about an apparently recent incident when a boat load of illegal migrants from Haiti was intercepted near Black Point by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and Police. Social Studies was followed by Physical Education, and we accompanied the class for a 30-minute power walk to the Black Point airstrip and back. Once back, we took our leave of the class, and then booked dinner at Lorraine's Cafe, which is the main hangout for cruisers as it offers great food, satellite TV and notices of broadcasts of NFL games (American football is widely and closely followed down here), and internet. The next day there were lots of familiar faces saying "hi" to us on the main street. The people here are very welcoming and friendly, always ready with a hello and a smile, particularly from the ladies sitting in the shade of trees doing straw-work. Without any foreign-owned marinas here or facilities for large motor-yachts, one gets the sense that this is more like the real Bahamas as opposed to some of the other cays that have been overrun by rich Americans with nothing better to do than exclude others from their corner of the islands.